The Story of Arcus Kail
by NeoRaven
Summary: Alternate character story. Trust me, its worth a look and Samus is treated respectfully. Just please read it and then reveiw it. I can take constructive criticism.


    Once there was a great race of beings known as the Chozo. They were good and benevolent people who shared their technological wealth with those less advanced than they. It was a golden age of the galaxy then. Eventually, though, the Chozo withdrew themselves from the affairs of the galaxy and left them to their own devices, leaving them to figure things out for themselves and merely observing. It was then that a race of creatures known only as Space Pirates appeared.     They were quick to take Zebes, the home world of the Chozo, and make it theirs. However, Zebes was not simply the home of the Chozo. It was home to a clan of humans that lived among them. Their names and very existence, being known only to the Chozo that lived there, slipped from the records.     When the Space Pirates came the family took heavy losses at the side of their Chozo brethren. At first they fled with the their nonhuman friends, but the clan's leader had the rest of the clan divert from the paths the Chozo were taking now. Embittered by their losses and the lazy attitude of the Federation they left for parts unknown and began their own raids against the Federation and the Space Pirates who had made themselves comfortable on their old home, Zebes.     Years pass as they do, and so does that mantle of leadership. Though the reasons are not quite forgotten, their significance fades. All there is left is a their newfound livelihood of piracy on the space ways. They were the only all human band of pirates, but no one knew. They worked quietly and in secrecy. They called themselves the Kail Pirate Clan, but to anyone else they were the Shadow Pirates of Moorcroft Sector. 

_Neo Studios  
In association with  
Midnight Oil Productions  
Presents_

**THE STORY OF ARCUS KAIL  
Episode 1: New Blood**

Benjamin M. Rhodes 

Nitpicking by  
SamusBelmont 

Metroid and all it's character's (c) Nintendo  
All others (c) 2003 Neo Studios 

    The boy fidgeted slightly in front of the computer consol as his instructor watched with a grin twitching at the edge of his mouth; it looked so funny to him. Finally, he could stand it no more and said that Arcus could leave. With a whoop, Arcus shot out of his seat and bolted out the door. The instructor, also the boys uncle, is a man named Markus Kail. People always joked and ribbed Markus and Arcus about their names being so similar, but Markus himself had an excellent sense of humor and Arcus never failed to send the grown man into fits laughter at times. Of course, these fits often caused the boy to break out laughing himself.     And now, Markus chuckled after seeing how quickly Arcus had left. Shaking his head, he said to himself the words that he felt summed up the boy's mood best.     "End of class, oh wonderful end of class."     At the age of five with long bangs of black hair dancing into his face and lively brown eyes, he ran down the corridor, making men and women many times his size jump out of his way. Yet, they did not mind little Arcus, because he was the Master's son and the only child aboard the old outpost on which they lived and worked. Rather than dirty looks the boy received many smiles on his way back to his quarters.     He had always been close to his father, thinking back to the times when he would take Arcus into secret places he was never allowed to see. The one place they had spent the most time in was a huge room with lots of people at terminals. And in the center was a huge display table showing all sorts of funny markings that moved around. The table blipped and beeped as his father and several of his friends would operate the controls and talk about what was on the table.     The best thing, though, was in an even bigger room where the space fighters were kept. Arcus's favorite was his father's fighter, a sleek sculpture of blackness that had his father's symbol, something he called a "Jolly Roger" on the engines. It was the neatest thing to Arcus then, and it still is. From that day forward when Arcus found out that his father was leaving on a mission, he would go to the observation deck and watch for his father's fighter to zoom out of the big room, several others flanking it, disappearing before he had a chance to watch them fly away. Later, Arcus had asked his father why his ship would disappear like that. His father, a man named Sikorsky, smiled, and explained that there were bad people who wanted him and the rest of their friends killed and that they needed special ships that could disappear like that.     Now, Arcus came charging down the corridors, weaving through the foot traffic, and finally into his and his father's quarters and the waiting arms of his father, nearly knocking the man over with his impression of a human cannonball.     To many, Sikorsky Kail was a huge and extremely intimidating man. He was nearly seven feet and 267 pounds of burly muscle with a scar over his left eye. He always carried two blasters that hung at jaunty angles from his gun belt and enough spare power packs to last even the most intense firefights. It is no small wonder that the very sight of him intimidates people. However, the only thing Arcus had of his father was his persona. Everything else he must have gotten from his mother, and she seemed to be a mystery to even Sikorsky's closest friends. One thing is for certain though... Mrs. Kail, whoever she was, must have been one hell of a woman judging by how Arcus was turning out. Even at his early age, Sikorsky could see him beginning to develop into a slim, athletic build. Not as strong, muscular, or powerful as he would have wanted his son to turn out, but he knew that Arcus would have agility, speed, and cunning on his side. 

    Evening fell on the station as it always had and the lights all over the station dimmed slightly to help signify this. In Arcus's room, however, the lights were dimmed down to near darkness as Sikorsky tenderly tucked his son into bed.     "Daddy," said Arcus sleepily. "When will I get to fly a ship like yours?"     Sikorsky chuckled at this. "When you've finally finished all your flight school, kiddo. And that's something that you can't rush."     "I know," replied Arcus in a disappointed tone that blended smoothly into a yawn and that into a stretch. "Daddy? Do you really need to go on another raid tomorrow?"     This statement made Sikorsky sigh. "Yeah, kiddo, I have to. You know that I need to be there for all the big raids."     "But why?"     "I can't tell you why now, kiddo, but when you're old enough to understand, I will."     This time, Arcus sighed. "Okay dad."     "Hey, don't be so down in the dumps, kiddo. Tomorrow's gonna be another great day. Just wait." 

    The next day came, and little Arcus was woken up by someone who was not his dad, but almost as good.     "Sensei!" said Arcus suddenly. A well-aged man had gently shaken his shoulder, thus jerking Arcus's senses back into wakefulness.     "Glad to see you too," said the old man. His name was simply Kai and he was indeed old, but no one knew for sure how old. However, age had not enfeebled this man one bit. In fact he was quite capable of knocking Sikorsky himself senseless with the greatest of ease. Arcus did not know it at the time, but Kai was one of the last great Grandmasters of the Aerial Martial Arts. And at these late stages in his life it was his mission to make a new Grandmaster out of someone who had the potential for it. He had his eyes out on quite a few people whom he felt was capable of producing a child with the best latent talents. In keeping his ears to the proverbial ground, he had found that Sikorsky Kail had fathered such a son. Sikorsky himself would have made an excellent student had he been thirty years younger, but Arcus was a perfect specimen. He was not too old and not too young, came from excellent genetic stock, and already led a very active lifestyle.     "Come now, my student. Let us get a meal into you so we can begin our morning lesson." Arcus smiled in reply and jumped out of bed.     The boy was always happy to see his sensei in the morning like this. It meant that he would make the strange and interesting foods that the old man preferred, foods that Arcus had taken a liking to, much to Kai's surprise. So, after a meal of fresh rice cakes and tofu, Arcus would be ready for the morning's lessons.     There was nothing Sensei did that Arcus didn't like. The lessons, no matter how strenuous, were always fun and entertaining for him. After the day's lessons, the day progressed on to the part he didn't like as much. This was when he was seated in a small classroom, made especially for him, and people like his Uncle Mark taught him mathematics, written and spoken languages, as well as the numerous sciences. Fortunately, the people that taught him were patient and understanding, and helped Arcus through his lessons. Then in the Evening, Sensei would come along again after he had time to play. He would teach him something called meditation, make him dinner. Then, after a warm bath, he was put to bed.     The next day progressed along the same path, except after his afternoon classes he went charging to the big room with the space ships, or, as one of his father's friends had told him, the hangar bay. And as expected, his father was there, climbing out of his fighter, still wearing his space armor. But when Sikorsky turned to look at Arcus, he didn't smile. In fact, Arcus thought he looked a bit sad.     "Daddy, what's wrong?"     He was silent for a short moment then said, "The bad people got your Uncle Marcus today."     "What?" said Arcus, the realization not quite setting in yet. Arcus then looked around for Uncle Marcus and his small, almost dainty ship. But neither were anywhere to be seen. Arcus then looked back at his father, the pain welling up inside his heart as the tears welled up in his eyes. People had not come back before, and Arcus knew now that his Uncle Marcus, a man that always made him laugh and always had new things to teach him, would not be coming back ever.     Sikorsky, being the kind of man that kept his feelings hidden, came down and scooped up Arcus in his huge arms, giving him one of his huge tight hugs that always comforted the boy. But this time, the comfort was minimal and Arcus had cried himself to sleep. 

    "Those damnable Zebians!" cursed Sikorsky as he angrily pounded a table. It was a mere hour after Arcus had gone to sleep and the officers in the Clan had gathered in the operations room to take a full accounting of their losses. "Every day they become stronger and stronger. And now they see fit to kill our own pilots on our own raids on our own turf! This is unforgivable!" Another pounding from his fist nearly shattered the transparisteel cover of the display table in the planning room.     "Peace, my lord," said Grandmaster Kai. "It is important that you contain and direct your anger towards a more constructive goal."     Sikorsky sighed at that. "I apologize for my outburst... But the matter is still at hand. What can we do to give ourselves the edge we need? We already use Chozo technology in our ships and weapons, but it hasn't been enough against the Zebians. What about Project Avatar?"     "We've been through that before, Lord Kail," said a somewhat slight looking man with dirty blonde hair and gray eyes behind glasses. This was Knacks, the Chief Engineer. "ARC-07 just isn't ready yet and it's going to be difficult for us to finish his supplements."     "I know, Knacks," said Kail. "But would it be possible to expedite the supplements?"     The engineer rubbed his chin as he thought about it. "It might be," he drawled out slowly. "It'll be very taxing on our resources, but we might be able to pull it off. But what would the point be?"     Grandmaster Kai was quick to catch on. "Ahhhh! You want to make a hunter out of someone, yes?"     "The best hunter there ever will be, Sensei," said Sikorsky. "He was made to be the best and you're already training him."     "Yes," said Kai. "Yes indeed. If we stepped up our training, then he could certainly be made into a very fine hunter. But are you sure you want to do this to your own son?"     "Arcus will do anything if it's to protect his family," said Sikorsky. "And in case you people have forgotten that would be us."     "I dunno, Lord Kail," said a large, muscular woman with swarthy skin and as many weapons on her person as Sikorsky had in his collection. This was Kayla, the weapons master. "With all do respect, he is just a kid, ya know."     "Of course I know, Kayla, but he's going to have to grow up someday. Don't worry, he'll be okay."     "Well... Okay then," said Kayla after a reluctant pause.     "Well, if there's nothing else, then this meeting is adjourned. G'night people. Rest well." 

    ******** 

    Arcus stared hard through the HUD display of a flight pack. He was seven years older now and shaping up into a fine young man. In front of him floated Sensei with an impassive look on his face. Suddenly the two were in a flurry of motion, moving almost too fast to be tracked by the human eye. Battling with bokens, the two fought each other; both trying to score a critical hit on the other. Finally, Arcus saw an opening and took it.     For a moment, the two of them stood in absolute silence and stillness. Sensei then finally broke it.     "You're getting better, my student."     "I only strive to do my best, Sensei."     "That you do. But you've been improving far faster than I have anticipated. Within a few more years you will no longer require my instruction and I will no longer need to stay here."     "But where will you go, Sensei," said Arcus, his voice conveying the fact that if he did leave he would be missed greatly.     "Oh, I don't know. A long time ago I did promise myself a nice vacation." Kai then smiled a small smile. "As far as I can tell I am long overdue."     There was another moment of silence at that.     "Well then," said Sensei, breaking it once again, "Our time for training is over. Now, go get showered, my student. Your father needs you to be ready to go soon."     "I know," said Arcus, his expression brightening. Over the years, he had let his hair grow long and he kept it well maintained. So when he took off the flight pack and it's integral helmet, a long braid of ebony hair, tied off with a leather thong, tumbled down to end right between his shoulder blades. Then it was off to his quarters to get showered then he suited up in his very own space armor. Knacks had told him that it was tricky to design and build space armor for his proportions, but build it he did. The armor fit snuggly and comfortably as it's climate control systems came online.     It was then Sikorsky came in and saw Arcus in the space armor, helmet held in the crook of his arm. The sight of this made Sikorsky smile with fatherly pride.     "Well now, you'll certainly look like a soldier now, Kiddo."     "Dad!" said Arcus, a bit chagrined at the remark. "I won't be as good as the rest of our friends."     "Oh no," said Sikorsky. "I've talked to Sensei, and he says that you're going to be one of the greatest."     Arcus blushed at this and changed the subject. "So, how long until we leave?"     "Not much longer now, they're waiting for us."     "Alright! Let's go then!" said Arcus with all the zeal only a twelve year old could supply. Minutes later, they were in Sikorsky's fighter, a Mark V Stealth with long-range capabilities. Arcus was absolutely ecstatic. He had been in this cockpit several times before, but never to actually go out and fly off to a mission. He had anticipated this moment for a long time and could barely contain the almost sickening excitement.     He could actually feel the ship powering up around him as he heard and felt the tremors from the reactors warming up. Soon the vibrations were gone and only the gentle hum of the reactors remained. In the midst of radio chatter, Sikorsky powered up the thrusters and the gravity distortion coils, bringing new sounds to Arcus's ears and enabling the ship to maneuver steadily in the hangar.     Soon there was the gentle force that pushed Arcus deeper into his seat as they accelerated out of the hangar. The only change that alerted Arcus to the stealth cloak's activation was when the instrument panels all changed from green to red.     "Okay," said Sikorsky, "we're under way, jump to hyperspace will be in ten minutes, and then after an hour we'll drop out and cruise for another half hour under stealth cloak to our mission objective."     "Okay dad," said Arcus, still barely containing his excitement. After a moment, an odd thought occurred to him, and he looked to his father slightly sheepish. "Uh, dad? What do you guys do while you wait to get there?" 

    Ten hands of poker later, they arrived at the destination. What is the target, Arcus wondered. Would it be a Zebian transport? A Federal Military convoy? Yet when they arrived, Arcus realized it was neither, seeing instead a single station in orbit of some uninhabited rock. From what the sensors gathered, the station had no weapons and only a small squad of Federation fighters to guard it. This confused Arcus greatly. What about the great foes his father talked so much about? Was this it? This small force against the Kail Clan's forces?     They broke into an attack run, stealth cloaks now gone. Sikorsky and four other Mark III's dispatched the Federation fighters swiftly and then the assault on the station itself took place. The largest craft amongst them, a troop carrier, attached itself to the hull of the station and cut a hole into it. Suddenly, holographic vid screens popped up all around Sikorsky. Arcus could tell that these were the video feeds from the troops on that carrier, and now they were invading the station and shooting anything that moved, whether they were armed or not.     "Dad!" cried out Arcus in shock and horror. "They're shooting unarmed civilians! Stop them!"     "No son," said Sikorsky firmly. "They are all witnesses. We can not let them go."     "But dad-"     "No buts!" snapped Sikorsky so fiercely that Arcus actually recoiled in fear from him. Never before had Sikorsky used that tone of voice on him before, and it frightened Arcus badly. "If the Federation ever finds out who we are or where we are, then they will come and destroy us." Arcus remained silent and watched as the troops neared their goals. One was a computer database from which data was downloaded and a virus uploaded. This virus would infect the station's black boxes and erase all data contained within them. The other was a laboratory where the troops were liberating some odd piece of equipment. Swiftly they made their way back to the transport and broke away from the station, leaving the gaping hole open to the vacuum of space.     Escape pods then began to jettison from the station, but other fighters quickly gunned them down. Arcus began to say something, but his father swiftly cut him off.     "They're witnesses, Arcus," said Sikorsky. "Witnesses. And any we leave behind can lead to our destruction." Suddenly the station blossomed into a ball of superheated gasses and debris.     "Okay people," said Sikorsky, "we're done. Let's get out of here." The stealth cloaks went up and they left. By the time any Federation forces arrived they were long gone.     When they arrived back at their home base, Arcus went straight to his room and locked the door.     "Give him time," said Kai to Sikorsky. "He'll come out, they always do. I'll wait for him." Sikorsky sighed and let him go, as he had other matters to attend to himself.     Much later, Arcus did come out of his room, and Kai was waiting for him when he did.     "Say nothing," said Kai immediately. "I understand your feelings and I agree whole heartedly; what your father does is wrong."     Arcus blinked as he processed this bit of information. "But why are you here?"     Kai sighed. "I'm here for you, my student. I must pass down my knowledge before I leave this plane of existence and pass on to the next."     "But why don't you-"     "Do something about your father?" Kai finished for Arcus. "Because, my student, the time is not right for that. But do not worry, you will soon understand. For now, you must take a vow that you will never follow the same path as your father's."     "I won't, not ever," said Arcus in a tone that assured Kai that the boy meant what he said.     "Good then. Now, tell no one of this. If anyone finds out I will surely be killed and your life might be put in jeopardy as well."     "But my dad-"     "Would never do that, I know. But the others would not care much about how he felt about you. You understand?" Arcus stared at his Sensei for a moment, then nodded.     "Good. Now, lets get you fed and bathed." 

    **Four Years Later...**

    "Now what's this information we have on a new bounty hunter?"     "It's very disturbing," said Knacks. "She's very well trained and uses some sort of bio-armor. It appears to be Chozo technology. Her name is Samus Aran and she has already wiped out the Zebian's main research base. The whole planet self destructed after she killed Mother Brain."     "Incredible!" said Kayla. "That place was a fortress. Any chance she might come after us next?"     "Negligible," said Knacks. "The Federation knows nothing of our identity or whereabouts so no bounty hunters can come after us. Those Zebians are another story. They all but hung huge flashy signs out depicting the whereabouts of their bases. Their overconfidence will be their downfall."     "Good," said Sikorsky. "If she can eliminate our competition, it will be all the better for us as long as we can keep our heads low and our operations small. Do we have any stat files on this Samus?"     "Not much, but we were able to get some information." On the display table, a file showing information about Samus Aran was displayed. Sikorsky then pulled up a file that displayed the stats of Arcus, as calculated with a suit of similar armor. According to the two files, the two were a match for each other.     "Well now," said Sikorsky, "this is interesting."     Knacks stared at the screen for a moment then said, "I'll give the Supplementary Armor full priority." 

    No longer did Arcus need the instruction of his Sensei. Now the old man only watched as the boy fought through a hoard of training bots. By ones, twos, and sometimes even threes the bots were shattered beyond repair. It was a good thing they were cheap and easy to make. Kai smiled. He was finally ready for the ultimate test, the one in which the two would face off against each other in a final bout. Kai would hold nothing back.     "Enough!" said Kai and the remaining bots broke off. Kai was suddenly in motion now as he began to attack Arcus.     He responded swiftly and decisively, but was taken aback by his Sensei's sudden aggressiveness. He soon realized after being driven back a few feet that this was no ordinary practice and Arcus began fighting back, regaining the ground he had lost and keeping it. For several minutes neither the old man nor the boy could gain an advantage over the other. But then, Arcus spotted an opening. During that split second, Arcus didn't think, but merely acted as his fist came in and gut-checked the old Grandmaster, driving him back several feet. Arcus used the precious time given by this move to move in for the kill.     He came down hard and fast with his boken in a move that would have surely broken Kai's skull, but he stopped suddenly at the very last inch. At this, Kai smiled.     "Very good. You are no longer my student, Arcus, but now you are my equal."     Arcus held his stance as he had learned to over the years, and replied, "Is that so?"     "Indeed it is, Arcus."     Arcus then lifted his wooden blade then suddenly countered one last blow that would have been crippling. This time, when he countered, Arcus connected. Kai let one cry of pain escape his mouth. He knew the damage had not been bad, only a nerve cluster had been struck, causing an entire arm to go limp and numb. After that, Arcus withdrew. The two of them regarded each other for a moment, after which Kai laughed. It caused Arcus to regard Kai quizzically and Kai noted his expression.     "It's quite all right, Arcus," said Kai. "It's just... After so long I can hardly believe that the student I've trained for a mere fourteen years has suddenly become my rival."     "You really mean it?" said Arcus, not sure what to make of this yet.     "Oh, it's no lie, especially since you saw through that little trick of mine earlier. You have certainly become quite the master, Arcus." Arcus, in a state of shock, went to a corner and sat down to process the sudden revelation. It meant so many things all at once now. Kai chuckled and went to sit down next to him.     "Quite a bit to think about, eh Arcus? It comes as no surprise to me that you're shocked. As I've told you before, it took me many, many years to get to the point you are at."     Later that day, news spread through the station like wild fire; Arcus Kail had defeated the Grandmaster. People now began to look at Arcus in a new light. Now he was no longer just Lord Kail's son, but a new Master of the Aerial Martial Arts. Arcus had to get used to being referred to as "Master Kail." But he soon learned that it was more an affection than anything else, one that was bittersweet for him.     That night, Arcus lay in his bed, thinking about what he was to do. He could never forgive himself for allowing his family to go on like this, killing and plundering all within their reach. It was amazing how the Federation had never found their lonely home of duranium and transparisteel, and it was a high price to pay for this sort of anominity. The outpost in which they lived had no transponders or navigation beacons; anyone who became lost stayed lost. Anyone who flew carried pills that supplied a swift and painless death. Their fighters, detecting the death of the pilot, would then scramble its data banks and then self destruct, leaving very little evidence to be discovered by Federation patrols. Many considered this a far better option than being captured and imprisoned, or worse, suffer a death of suffocation as their oxygen supply would run out. However, Arcus was more concerned about his moral dilemma than the fates of stragglers.     For only a moment more did Arcus permit his demons to torment him until he finally decided what he would do. He had his plan, all he needed was an opportunity. That night a hole in Arcus's heart began to form. 

    Arcus woke up that morning and went through his usual routine; meditation, breakfast, shower then got dressed. He was only dimly aware of the dull ache in his heart and studiously ignored it. The rest of the day was going fine, except there seemed to be an air of excitement on the station and people would look at him as though they were going to congratulate him on being a father or something. _What the hell's going on here,_ he thought to himself. _I know I'm the new Master and all, but this is getting to be too much._ The answer came later on after he finished the last of his final exams in school. His father asked him to walk with him. Arcus, who still loved his father and everyone else on the station very much despite their occupation, followed him and noticed how eerily quiet and empty the station had become.     "Dad, where is everyone right now?"     "Oh they're around. Hang on, I wanna check on something in the hangar."     "The hangar?" said Arcus quizzically as his father keyed in his access code. "What do you mean?" he continued, following Sikorsky into the hangar and then screeching to a halt as he saw just about everyone there in the hangar, sitting or standing on the floor, gantries, spacecraft, even the hooks of the heavy lifting cranes were occupied by some bolder dock workers. And in the middle of it all, gleaming black with big red ribbons and a bow tied on it was a freshly constructed Mark VI Long Range Stealth Fighter. Hanging just over it was a large banner that read, "Happy birthday you scallywag!"     "SURPRISE!!!" came the deafening, gleeful roar. Arcus nearly fell flat on his arse in surprise.     "Happy birthday!" came the voices of people he knew in no particular order as they came up to him and presented gifts. The gifts quickly began to pile up and Arcus found that he had lost track. Later, Arcus had catalogued them all and came up with the following results: two electronic lock busters; four blaster rifles; four blaster pistols; two spread field blasters; thirteen power packs for said blasters; utility belt; backpack; three melee knives; a multi-tool; a replica of an antiquated assault rifle made by a company on Earth called "Colt" and a computer chip that enabled any replicator to generate more ammunition in several different flavors (hallow point, slugs, armor piercing, etc); more replicator chips for everything from uncommon food to weapons (often called the gift that keeps on giving); several exotic weapons; and a book of the collected literary treasures of the seventeenth through twentieth centuries (everything from Shakespeare to Vonegut).     But as if the Stealth Fighter was not enough (Arcus thought for sure that he was just gonna get an old Mark II and not the first of the new Mark VI line), Sikorsky, Knacks, and Kai had a couple more very special gifts for Arcus. Kai first came over to Arcus with a nondescript red box that was six inches wide and four and a half feet long.     "Here, Arcus," said Kai. "When a certain sword master found out that I was training up my protégé, she began working on this." Kai then placed the box in Arcus's hands. Arcus now knew what the box's contents were and with trembling hands he lifted the cover off. Inside was a katana with an intricately wrapped handle and a gorgeously well crafted, polished and lacquered ebony sheath that Arcus could see his reflection in. It was the thing of beauty.     "It is made of the finest tungsten-steal alloy," said Kai, "and folded four-thousand times to ensure strength and long life of the blade. Of course, it has a full tang. And be very careful of the edge, even when you're in armor. It has been sharpened down to a monomolecular edge." Arcus was about to draw out the blade, but upon that warning he thought better of it. Such a blade is a weapon in the truest sense and should only be bared if it is to be used. Instead, Arcus inspected the sheath and saw that it was fine enough to be used like a boken.     "Master Kai... This is almost too much for me."     "It is not," said Kai. "You are most definitely worthy of wielding a weapon of that caliber. And speaking of which, your father and Knacks have something for you too."     "Well," said Sikorsky, "in a sense it's actually from all of us here." He then turned to the left and called out, "Bring it in!" People to the left parted ways and then, in what looked like a modified armor rack, there it was. Armor the likes of which Arcus had never seen in shades of black and gray.     "What is it?" said Arcus as he went up to get a closer look.     "Bioarmor," said Knacks.     "Bioarmor?" repeated Arcus, not taking his eyes off it.     "Yes. It's much stronger and tougher than traditional space armor. Plus, the integrated weaponry will make you a formidable opponent. Especially with all the training you've had."     "And speaking of training," said Sikorsky, "your instructors just told me that you've aced all your final exams and that you'll be one of the best pilots we've had in a long time." Arcus was sat there for a moment, stunned into silence. How can he do it, he asked himself. How can he do what he was about to do to his family? He suddenly caught himself and silenced the thoughts; a man has to do what a man has to do. And so, Arcus smiled and enjoyed the party, for it was his last night with his family. 

    Much later that evening, after the festivities had died down, Arcus went to Master     Kai, not to talk, but to warn the man of what he was going to do now. Arcus found the old master in his quarters and rang the chime.     "Come in, Arcus," said Kai. Arcus did so without hesitation. He did not visit Kai in his own quarters often, but it was not something that he put off either.     "Sensei, you remember what you said about taking a vacation?"     "Of course, Arcus. Why do you say that?" Arcus was silent for a short moment. He had thought long and hard over what he was about to say for the years since his father took him on that one raid. He then spoke in a hushed tone.     "I'm going to release anesthetizine gas into the ventilation system of the station."     "Now why would you do that? I thought you were just going to run away."     "No, Sensei. I need to bring my father to justice for what he has done."     Kai sighed at this and said, "Alright then. I'll alert your father to my departure. Meanwhile... Why don't you go familiarize yourself with your ship. Knacks told me he left a surprise for you there."     "He did?" Arcus groaned at this. "Any more little surprises and I won't be able to fit any of it in my new ship!"     "Oh don't fret, Arcus. Just go and see."     Arcus sighed. "Alright, I'll go see. Anything else you're not telling me?"     "No, my student, there is nothing more except for us to part ways." Arcus went over to the old Grand Master and hugged him tightly.     "I'll miss you, Sensei."     "I'll miss you too, my student," said Kai, who then held Arcus back at arm's length. "When we meet again we'll show each other everything new we've learned, eh?"     "Yes, Sensei."     "Good. Go now, my Student. Until we meet again." Arcus only nodded and was off, leaving Kai to do his packing.     Moments later, Arcus keyed in his new access code into the hangar bay's lock and entered, making a beeline for his ship. Not missing a beat, a climbed up the retractable gantry ladder and into the open cockpit, seating himself comfortably in the pilot's seat. The moment he did the central display in front of him came alive, displaying the status of the fighter. At the same time, a little girl's voice with a British accent and a no nonsense tone came on.     "Greetings, my name is Alice. You must be Arcus Kail. Happy birthday, Mr. Kail." Arcus blinked, not believing what he was hearing for a moment.     "Is there a problem, Mr. Kail?" asked the voice.     "Uh, no, not really," sputtered Arcus. "I just didn't expect my ship to come with a Computer Intelligence."     "Well, I do hope that you get used to me, and quick, Mr. Kail, because I would certainly hate to see you get rid of me after Mr. Knacks went through so much trouble to design me."     "Uh, I don't think that'll be too much of a problem... Knacks designed you? I never thought that he could do something like that."     "You'd be surprised, Mr. Kail. According to Knacks, designing and building me was not a real problem. And in case you're wondering, I was modeled after his sister."     "His sister talks like you do?"     "Well, unlike Mr. Knacks, she was born and raised in Great Britain."     "Oh, I see."     "Well, now that all that is out of the way, I suppose it's on to familiarization, eh?"     "But I'm already..." started Arcus, but his train of thought was derailed when he noticed that there were no readouts or HUD to be seen, only the single status display and the various controls.     "Well, now that you seem to understand what you're dealing with would you be so kind as to jack in?"     "Right," said Arcus as he reached for the familiar looking jack and plugged it into the socket that was surgically installed into the base of his skull. The moment he did, he felt the sudden exchange of information as his wetware interfaced with the computer system.     "Right then," said Alice, this time in his head and not the cockpit speakers. "Now uploading interface software."     "But why do I need this?" asked Arcus without actually speaking.     "You'll see. And don't worry, Knacks designed this as well, now let me upload it."     "Alright, granting upload privilege." Soon, Arcus found out that Knacks had spent almost as much time on this software package as he had spent on Alice, running it through one simulation after another, rigorously debugging the software, and for a good reason too. This was no ordinary interface software. This software enabled the sensory input of the fighter itself. Not simply senses like touch, hearing, or sight, but he could sense what his fighter was doing, sense if anything was wrong with it and diagnose the problem. And all without any displays of any sort, it was all thought and sensation.     However, Knack forgot about one slight problem with this system.     "Oh... My..." said Alice, totally at a loss for words because the connection seemed to be working two ways. Odd how the human mind can play tricks with binary.     Arcus blinked.     "What was that!?" snapped Alice.     "What was what?" said Arcus, just now getting used to this new connection. He had forgotten etiquette completely for the moment and spoke those words aloud.     "GAH!" screamed Alice in surprise. "Now what was that!?"     "What was what?" said Arcus, this time remembering his etiquette.     "All this extra input! I don't know what it is!"     "Hang on, lemme run a diagnostic."     "Well? What is it?"     "Um," said Arcus as he reviewed the results. "It's, uh... Me."     "What!?"     "My own sensations are feeding back into your system and you're experiencing everything I am!"     Alice was quiet for just a second then said, "Oh, Knacks you stupid bloody..." And what followed was a string of British insults that Arcus lost track of after "bloody."     "Done now?" asked Arcus after she finished the stream of insults that turned his ears pink.     "Quite," said Alice. "I recommend that we have Knacks fix this problem ASAP."     "Negative, Alice. Got a date with destiny here."     "And what's so important?"     "Well, first I'd like to know just how loyal you are to my father's cause."     Alice snorted at that. "I could hardly care less. I am not politically biased because I was programmed that way."     "Good. Here's the story then." And in the space of a few milliseconds Arcus explained what he wanted to do and why.     "Yes, yes, I understand. Lets just get it taken care of, shall we?"     Arcus blinked. "Knacks really did make you politically unbiased, didn't he?"     "That he did. Now, shall we get on with it?" Impatient too, Arcus added silently. 

    Arcus quietly left his quarters and quietly crept down the halls with his new backpack. All was uncharacteristically quiet, but that was to be expected with most of the people on the station partied out. Unhindered, he made it to the storeroom and got a canister of anaesthetizine gas, enough to keep the entire station out for several hours, and a gas mask placing them inside his pack.     He then made his way to the environmental control room without seeing a single soul. There was a lock here, but it was only meant to slow down any invaders incase it came down to that, and thus it was not active. Arcus was unhindered once more as he made his way inside. In a moment, he found the right connection to feed the gas into and had the canister hooked up and ready in no time.     He then slipped on his mask, and began the process. The gas had been intentionally formulated to be odorless and colorless. No one knew that there was something wrong. Everyone was in their quarters and some were already asleep. In five minutes, everyone was asleep and oblivious to all that was going on. That done, Arcus then went down to the armory, carrying his backpack with him. It was a good and very sturdy pack, and Arcus already valued it too much to simply leave behind. Once in the armory, Arcus found his bio-armor suit and looked it over once more. It was not just a weapon, but a work of art.     Earlier, Knacks had told him the features of the suit. It was capable of growing with him because it was all organic, so he needn't worry about any growth spurts he'd hit along the way. The twin blades on the legs could extend upwards or downwards past the sole to provide a very lethal attack from above. The forearm blades could come loose from the elbow and pivot at the wrist, becoming reversed edge scythe blades controlled by his hand movements. An integral flight pack in the back provided extended jumping range and some limited flights. On his left hand he had a grappler hook with two wicked looking grappler claws that served two purposes. The obvious one was that it allowed him to climb walls. The other purpose was a bit more insidious. The sharp grappling claws were armor piercing and could be fired into an opponent with ease. And as if that were not enough, a massive electrical charge could be passed down the grappler's twin myomer weave cables and into the opponent, paralyzing him or her if it didn't kill the person first.     There was also the folding shield integrated into the right forearm. This shield's composition, made of much tougher materials than the rest of the suit's armor plating, could protect the entire body in a crouch position from a head-on attack. And then there were the grenades. Dispensed from replicator units on either side of his waist, he could generate a grenade with whatever time delay or ordnance options he desired with a mere thought. The only disadvantage being that the replicators' material supply was limited to being able to produce only ten grenades. However, more supply tanks could be installed later on, so it was only a small drawback for now.     Arcus took off the helmet with its menacing faceplate and touched the armor in the place he had been told to by Knacks to open it. The armor did so, splitting open down the center of the torso's front side. At the waist, the split divided into two directions, one for each leg. The two new splits continued all the way down to the toes, just like Knacks said it would, and finally ended, leaving the armor open to him.     The one thing that did bother Arcus about this armor was that he had to strip down completely before getting into it. It bothered him because he was used to other power armors requiring "contact suits". Arcus sighed; he didn't dare to even think that Knacks wasn't being serious. He striped down out of his usual jumpsuit and then looked at the armor's featureless gray interior, apprehensive about what he was going to do here.     Sighing once more, he swallowed his doubts, took a deep breath and took off his mask, turned around, and stepped backwards into the armor, being careful to get his arms where they should be. Once he did this, the armor suddenly closed all around him, sealing up. Trying not to think about it, he quickly grabbed the helmet and snapped it down on his head. Only after he did that did he realize that he could feel the helmet in his armored hands like as if it were his own skin. He also noticed that there was no HUD in the helmet except for a targeting reticule that literally seemed to paste itself on any surface his grappler was pointed at.     _What,_ he thought to himself, _more sensory input systems?_ He then started to walk around in the room to get a feel for the armor. It was here he began to learn that he could feel everything that came in contact with the armor's skin, even passing air currents. Unfortunately this gave him a sensation of walking around naked.     "It's gonna take me a while to get used to this," he muttered to himself.     "Ah, there you are," came the sudden and abrupt voice of Alice, briefly startling Arcus. "I'm talking to you via the comlink built into your suit. Telling by the amount of anaesthetizine in the air right now, I believe that you were successful in your endeavors. Congratulations, Mr. Kail. You've made your first catch as a bounty hunter." At this, Arcus had recovered from his brief shock, picked up his pack, stuffed his clothes into it, and started making his way to his quarters.     "Bounty hunter?" said Arcus, carrying on the conversation as he went. "Who said anything about being a bounty hunter?"     "Your father, of course. He wanted to assign you to take out any piracy syndicates competing with his, as well as other bounty hunters who might pose a threat to him. It's a rather lucrative business actually."     "I could hardly care less about money," said Arcus tartly.     "As you wish, Mr. Kail, but money is a necessity and there are substantial rewards for the live apprehension of the so-called Ghost Pirates of the Moorcroft Sector."     "Yeah, yeah. If you're gonna hassle me about it, I'll take the bounty."     "Good then." Presently, Arcus entered his quarters and picked up a bag he had packed earlier filled with essentials like his recent birthday presents and a few keepsakes, as well as his sword, still in its box. With all this in hand now, he then made his way to the hangar. The station was once a military outpost, found abandoned by his father just after he had been born. After towing it to a nice enough spot and some cleaning the station became perfectly serviceable. And though old, it certainly served its purpose quite well. This also explained why everyone's quarters were so close to the hangar bay: to facilitate the swift scramble of fighters in an emergency.     Though this was certainly no emergency, it definitely made the trip shorter. He entered the hangar bay and climbed into his fighter.     "Uplinking Sensory Input System to your bio-armor suit," said Alice. Suddenly the sensation of being the fighter came back in spades now that he was in the suit. "Oh, this is ludicrous. Now I can feel that blasted suit!" Alice then actually made a sound of great annoyance.     "Get used to it," said Arcus, reciprocating her annoyance. "I can feel you, too." Alice sighed at this and acquiesced as Arcus powered up the ship and took off into the eternal night.     "Alright then, Mr. Kail. Where to?"     "Nearest Federal Police Outpost. You do have the hyperspace plots for that, don't you?"     "Of course, Mr. Kail," said Alice, sounding a bit exasperated. "Course is set, engaging hyperdrive... Now!" 

    When a fighter of unknown origins bearing the markings of a pirate vessel appeared out of hyperspace near the Moorcroft Sector Federal Police outpost, tensions on the station rose quickly. Yet the fighter's transponder started bleating out a "white flag" signal and the ship and it's pilot were swiftly taken into custody.     Arcus Kail, with long suffering patience, went through with their searches, scans, and questions. Finally, they decided to let him do the talking once he mentioned the Ghost Pirates of the Moorcroft Sector. He told them of what he had done and where to find their station and Chief Schell, the commander of the station, was brought in to hear the boy's confession. However, once he heard it the Chief was swift to raise caution.     "But how do we know that you're not just lying to us?"     "What do you mean?" said Arcus, sans bio-armor and genuinely surprised. "I'm on the level here."     "Sure you are," said Schell in a knowing tone of voice, "and those pirate friends of yours can be sitting right where you told us they'll be, snug in their ships with their plasma cannons already warm and toasty." When Arcus thought about it he wondered why his father had never thought that one up before, but then the question had already answered itself and he put it aside in his mind.     "Look at it this way," said Arcus, as he suddenly had an idea. "If I'm lying and you don't go, you guys save your skins, but if I'm not lying then you'll have just missed out on one of the biggest busts in your careers." Chief Schell looked at Arcus for a brief moment and then signaled to his first officer to join him in the hall. The officer nodded and left the interrogation room with the Chief.     "What do you think, Simmons?" said Schell to his first officer.     "Frankly sir, I'd send in someone we could afford to lose alone, like a bounty hunter."     "Say, that Aran person," said Schell his old blue eyes lighting up, "she's still here, just finished her debriefing of her mission on that Zebian pirate base. We'll send her out as another little mission. Make it worth her time."     "Sounds doable to me. I'll get the strings pulled and get her out on the job, ASAP."     That said, the two men saluted each other and parted ways, Schell going back into the debriefing room, and the first officer down the hall.     "We're going to have someone check on your claim. Meanwhile, you'll be placed into secure quarters until we find out whether or not your lying to us or not." Arcus looked into the older mans eyes calmly.     "Fine then," said Arcus at last. 

    "You want me to what?" said a very skeptical and beautiful woman with long blonde hair and sharp green eyes. This young woman was none other than the dreaded bounty hunter, Samus Aran.     "It's just a short and simple mission, Lady," said Adam Malkovich, her assigned liaison. "Go to the coordinates on your navicomp and confirm what our informant has told us about these pirates. If he's right, then no big deal, we'll move in and take care of the rest. If not, then you should be able to get yourself out of there and we'll have ourselves a prisoner to question."     "And what's in it for me?" In response, Adam slid a credit chit across the table towards Samus. She picked it up, not missing a beat, and read it silently. When Adam saw her eyebrows arch upwards he knew he'd won her.     "Okay," said Samus, "you got me."     "I knew you'd see it my way, Lady."     "Humph. What about this informant?" Adam shrugged.     "We've got no records whatsoever on him. Not even a birth certificate. He's a nobody, and from what he's told us he's the son of the Ghost Pirate's Leader."     "Ghost Pirates?" said Samus, her eyebrows arching once more.     "Yes, Lady, The Ghost Pirates-"     "Of Moorcroft Sector," finished Samus for Adam. "Yeah, I know about them. I'd have gone after them a long time ago but they do too good of a job covering their tracks. Now this informant pops up... Huh, I always thought that there was no honor among thieves."     "Don't be so sure. He made us agree not to harm a single person there before he told us their whereabouts."     "Hmm. I dunno, sounds odd to me."     "I know, Lady, but that was the condition. And you had better be going."     "Yeah, yeah, I'm going," said Samus with a wry grin as she got up and left for the hangar bay her gun ship lay in. 

    Samus arrived at the prescribed coordinates and found an old military outpost. After the initial scans came up with numerous life forms, but no movement, she entered in the key code the informant had given them and landed her ship in the hangar.     "So far everything's quiet," said Samus, "and according to my suit's sensors this place is full of anaesthetizine gas."     "I read you, Lady," came back Adam's voice. "Proceed with caution, it could be a trap."     "Tell me something I don't know." Quietly, she began to make her way through the base, the heavy footfalls of her armor echoing in the corridors. Carefully and quietly, she went from level to level in the base, finding everyone in the habitation levels. The old station's systems had been updated and automated so its crew's attention was not always needed. In fact, it seemed that this place was on par with Federation tech. Then as she explored Knack's workshop she suddenly realized that all of it was not only Federation technology, but also Chozo technology as well. Even some technology form the Space Pirates, the ones she hated most, could be found.     "You know, Adam," said Samus as she explored the laboratory and workshop, "these people had their hands on all sorts of technologies. From the Chozo on down to Space Pirate and everything in between."     "Check their databanks then," said Adam. Samus didn't even bother answering as she went to the nearest computer terminal. She didn't know whether to think it odd or not that they had a data port that fit the one on her cannon so readily. She suddenly cursed vehemently, because what she found chilled her blood and angered her to no end all at once.     "Adam, they have data on the Metroids."     "What!?" deadpanned Adam, not quite believing what he was hearing, but he quickly recovered himself and got professional. "Download everything you can, Lady. Leave nothing untouched."     "Already on it," said Samus. Indeed, she was already sending the data to her ship's computer where it was swiftly sent back to the Federation Outpost via a series of encrypted signal bursts. It was all going smoothly until she hit a wall.     "Okay, everything's been downloaded, except something that is related to the Metroids called Project Avatar. I can unlock it so it'll be downloaded, but the data itself is heavily encrypted. It's got an algorithm on it the likes of which I've never seen before."     "Understood, Lady. Can you confirm the presence of any Metroids on the station?"     "Negative Metroid presence. The place is clean."     "Very well then, Lady. Continue your check of the outpost. We're dispatching a BSL team to the outpost now."     "Understood," said Samus now as she left the lab, thoroughly shaken by her findings. _Who the hell were these people,_ thought Samus angrily. _Why the hell did they know so much about everything!? Relax, Samus. The Federation will figure that out, you just finish your job here. But still... Metroids!? Are they to become the bane of my life or something?_ Aran ranted to herself like this as she continued her inspection, finding nothing more than sleeping humans.     "Adam, it seems your informant was on the level after all. I've found no one awake here. Even the guy he said was the leader is out cold."     "Alright then, Lady. Go ahead and pull out, we'll handle the rest."     "Gotcha. Aran out." 

    Minutes later, Schell himself came to the quarters that had been assigned to Arcus and nodded to the guards posted at the door. The two guards nodded in reply and stepped aside, one of them unlocking the door as he did so.     Schell walked into the quarters to find Arcus in a lotus position, eyes closed, and in a state of meditation.     "Mr. Kail?" said the Chief. Arcus' eyes snapped open at the intrusion.     "Yes, Chief Schell?" replied Arcus, not the least bit perturbed. Schell then reached into his pocket, pulled out a credit chit, and tossed it over to Arcus, who caught it readily.     "Congratulations, son," said Chief Schell as Arcus read the chit. "You're a rich man now." Arcus' eyes widened and re-read the chit.     "All this for me!?"     "That's right. We've been after the pirates that have been haunting these sectors even before you were born." Arcus was silent for a moment.     "What will happen to my father?" Arcus finally asked. Schell sighed at that.     "Well, he's going to be tried and sentenced in the galactic courts. If he pleads guilty, I'd imagine they'd waive the death penalty." Again, Arcus was silent for a moment.     "Can I be alone for a while?" asked Arcus then.     "Certainly, but later on we'll need to get some paperwork done to make you a citizen. We don't even have any records of your birth."     "All right. Thank you, Chief Schell."     "Think nothing of it, Mr. Kail," said the chief as he left Arcus' quarters. After the Chief had left and all was quiet in his room Arcus let the dam that had been holding back his feelings break at last. He fell asleep crying for the second time in his life that night. 

    Samus hated debriefings with a passion. She hated having to go back and remember everything in such detail and then tell it to people who could hardly care less except that the mission was a success. This was no different, especially the part about Metroids. They didn't seem so much as concerned with the Metroids, but with this Project Avatar. Samus knew why. As far as she could figure it was something related to the Metroids. She did not like that one bit and neither did the Federation. Yet the debriefing ended at last and Adam came in to see her.     "Well, what do you think?" she asked her liaison officer.     "I think we may have put an end to something bigger than you and I could imagine."     "Has anyone been able to break that encryption yet?"     "Not a chance in hell. One of those people is a cracker named Daniel "Knacks" McPherson. NetWatch has been after this guy for years and according to his profile... Well, we'd have a better chance of finding the Ark of Covenant than cracking his algorithm anytime soon."     "Dammit," muttered Samus. "Is there anything else?"     "We did find some culture tanks in there. Seems they haven't been used in a long while. We're not sure what they were cooking up in there, but it was big. But until we crack that file we won't be able to figure anything out."     Samus then sighed tiredly. "Right then... I'm gonna go to my ship to rest. Unless you got a new job for me come tomorrow, then I'm out of here." Adam nodded quietly. He was not going to bother telling her that the Federation wanted her to go on another mission out over at Talon IV, nor that after she sees to the situation there she would be dispatched to exterminate the Metroids on SR-388. The poor woman. She hardly ever gets any breaks.     "Rest well, Lady," said Adam. You're going to need it, he added silently. 


End file.
